Project restoring the Apostle Islands lighthouses

7:19 PM,
Sep. 1, 2013

Jeremy Anderson of Anderson Plaster and Drywall moves a section of scaffolding by the first Apostle Islands lighthouse, built in 1856, near Bayfield, Wis. on Tuesday, Aug. 13, 2013. Beyond it is the tower added to the station in 1929. The National Park Service has undertaken a $3.5 million rehabilitation of lighthouses on five islands. (AP Photo/Steve Kuchera, Duluth News Tribune)

Written by

Steve Kuchera
Duluth News Tribune

Beginning in 1857, lighthouses began shining across the Apostle Islands, guides for sailors and fishermen and witnesses to shipwreck and rescue, to family life and presidential visits.

But advances in technology overtook the lights. Automation eliminated the need for keepers, and their island homes were locked up and largely left to the ravages of time and nature.

Now the National Park Service has embarked on a $3.5 million project to turn back the clock and restore light stations on five islands. The goal is to preserve the historic structures for the next 100 years, the Duluth News ...